Any new cars that come with physical metal keys,

Charlie Spencer

Charlie Spencer

Road courses and short tracks.
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or does everything come with an electronic dongle these days? Just wondering for when I hit the market next spring.

Thanks.
 
95% that I see have gone to wireless ignition.

Odd thing yesterday...older gentleman pulls up in a mercedes SUV, gets out. Leave truck running...figure it's a quick visit.
30 minutes later...notice truck is still running....owner is nowhere to be found. It's in the way of our shop bay, I go to get in to move it and as soon as I open the door "Fob not detected" appears on the dash. Yep, i'm not even about to find out what happens if I put it in gear. So i just pushed the ignition button and shut it off.

You'd think they would shut themselves off when the fob goes out of range. Had that been in his garage, he'd have died...geriatric man didn't even know he left it running.
 
Nissan's are still coming with a metal key, its tucked inside the FOB and can only be used to unlock the doors
 
BobbyFord said:
People need to start providing feedback to the manufacturers if they prefer the “analog” ignition.
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I don't know how many people prefer physical keys vs. fobs. I just assumed my Darling Bride and I were anachronisms.

I think the ship has sailed. I suspect the manufacturers get a lot of extra revenue from assorted fob-related services - reprogramming, replacing batteries, replacing lost / damaged / waterlogged units. Unlike cheap metal kesy, it certainly isn't affordable for me to have a couple of extra dongles around the house, at work, Darling Bride's backpack, etc.
 
jws926 said:
Nissan's are still coming with a metal key, its tucked inside the FOB and can only be used to unlock the doors
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I looked it up and all key fobs have a metal key for when the battery in the fob dies.

"Vehicles with a smart-key system have a mechanical backup, usually in the form of a spare key blade supplied with the vehicle".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_key
 
Johali said:
I looked it up and all key fobs have a metal key for when the battery in the fob dies.

"Vehicles with a smart-key system have a mechanical backup, usually in the form of a spare key blade supplied with the vehicle".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_key
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Can I start the car with it? What good is a key to get me in if I can't start the car? I don't remember seeing any place to start my parents' Accord with a key.

I don't want it as a backup, I hope to use it as my primary device. If nothing else, it weighs less than a fob and takes up less space in my pocket, fanny pack, etc.

Thanks for the link. The information there discourages me even further. I don't want a car that locks automatically when I walk away. That means if I leave something in the car, I have to have the key on me to go out and get it. That's a pain if it's just in the driveway and I'm going back out something I forgot earlier, or if I'm working in the garage and want to put something in. I'm not in the habit of carrying my keys all day.
 
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Charlie Spencer said:
Can I start the car with it? What good is a key to get me in if I can't start the car? I don't remember seeing any place to start my parents' Accord with a key.

I don't want it as a backup, I hope to use it as my primary device. If nothing else, it weighs less than a fob and takes up less space in my pocket, fanny pack, etc.
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The link I posted has a lot of info on the different makes. Some have hidden keyholes in the console and other fobs can be used like a key if the battery's dead. Different makes have different solutions.
 
Sounds like I'm going to be making some dealer's customer service rep miserable with a bunch of 'How To' questions, especially 'How To Disable ...'. I suspect I'm not going to like the (lack of) answers.
 
Johali said:
I looked it up and all key fobs have a metal key for when the battery in the fob dies.

"Vehicles with a smart-key system have a mechanical backup, usually in the form of a spare key blade supplied with the vehicle".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_key
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Good info.

I dont recall the method for Nissan on how to start them when the FOB is dead, when we got the car, I remember asking about it, but its been a few years now and CRS, I could be wrong ,but I dont think the backup key is the key ( see what I did there)
 
Probably involves goat entrails by the light of a full moon. I'll be the dealership will be happy to send someone out to start the car for a nominal (by their standards) service charge.
 
Left, Ram Ram key fob and right is the Altima fob
1aKZmi1.jpg
 
I have rented several cars in my travels of late and all have the keyless fob. Once I got used to it, I really liked it. Keep the fob in your pocket and when you shut the door just put thumb on door handle and it locks when getting back in touch door handle and it opens driver door touch twice it opens all doors.
I forgot to hit the button to shut off on the last rental and when I got about 15 feet from the car it sounded a warning to let me know not to do that.
 
my exs sonata 2017 comes with a regular key not sure if there are any electronics in the key itself but does not look like it. comes with remote door unlocks and trunk
 
Now that I think about it, our 2004 Elantra came with both a fob and conventional keys. About the second day we had it, I tried to use the fob to lock the car. Somehow I set off an alarm I didn't know the car even had. After annoying people for several minutes, some kind soul was able to shut the alarm off.

When we got home, Darling Bride tossed the fob in the junk drawer. Since it's primarily her car, I didn't argue. I don't have a clue where it is now. I assume the battery is dead but if it turns up, I'm not pushing any buttons. Fool me once...
 
Seems like everything i drive recently,rental and company vehicles have fobs.Good luck Charlie with your new vehicle purchase,I dread having to deal with car salesmen.A coworker showed me an article where financial firms are offering 120 month payments on new cars,that's crazy.
 
My 2016 Frontier still has a real key. Since Nissan hasn't updated those trucks since Christ was in diapers, I'm guessing the 2018's have them too.
 
ToyYoda said:
My 2016 Frontier still has a real key. Since Nissan hasn't updated those trucks since Christ was in diapers, I'm guessing the 2018's have them too.
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A new model came out this year. Well down under anyways....
 
Whizzer said:
Know whatcha mean about fobs. They do take some getting use to.
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I might get used to it more quickly if I could see some personal benefit to it vs. a metal key. I don't care about locking or unlocking my doors from 20 feet away. If there are other 'advantages', I'm not aware of them. It's not like this is a safety issue.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I might get used to it more quickly if I could see some personal benefit to it vs. a metal key. I don't care about locking or unlocking my doors from 20 feet away. If there are other 'advantages', I'm not aware of them. It's not like this is a safety issue.
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I agree but to me it is what it is. I couldn't buy the truck I wanted without a fob so I use a fob.
 
Johali said:
I agree but to me it is what it is. I couldn't buy the truck I wanted without a fob so I use a fob.
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Oh, it's not going to stop me from getting the vehicle I prefer. It will be minor tiebreaker. If all other things are equal between two cars but one offers a physical key, I'll go with one.
 
darlingtonfan said:
Seems like everything i drive recently,rental and company vehicles have fobs.Good luck Charlie with your new vehicle purchase,I dread having to deal with car salesmen.A coworker showed me an article where financial firms are offering 120 month payments on new cars,that's crazy.
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Have you seen new car/truck prices? 120 month financing is the only way to keep the monthly payment below the cost of a firstborn.
 
darlingtonfan said:
I dread having to deal with car salesmen.
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That's just one of the reasons I drive a vehicle until it dies. I have almost no negotiation skills.
Magnethead said:
Have you seen new car/truck prices? 120 month financing is the only way to keep the monthly payment below the cost of a firstborn.
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My National Guard retirement starts in January. I'll wait several months, both to build up a substantial down payment and to wait for the prices to drop toward the end of the model year. After that, the extra check will be enough to make payments on 60-month or 72-month. My vehicle requirements are minimal, and sedans aren't in demand.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
That's just one of the reasons I drive a vehicle until it dies. I have almost no negotiation skills.

My National Guard retirement starts in January. I'll wait several months, both to build up a substantial down payment and to wait for the prices to drop toward the end of the model year. After that, the extra check will be enough to make payments on 60-month or 72-month. My vehicle requirements are minimal, and sedans aren't in demand.
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If you lease a truck you can get cheap payments, that's with 3-4k down and only 10k per year for miles. Hell I put that on a car in 6 months between what my wife drives per work and trips to Maine. If the lease included 15k or 18k in mileage it might be a way to go. Right now the only way I'll buy a truck is the used route.
 
Mopardh9 said:
If you lease a truck you can get cheap payments, that's with 3-4k down and only 10k per year for miles. Hell I put that on a car in 6 months between what my wife drives per work and trips to Maine. If the lease included 15k or 18k in mileage it might be a way to go. Right now the only way I'll buy a truck is the used route.
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Same. I scored a hell of a deal on a 13 Sierra and the damn things last forever
 
Mopardh9 said:
I want to get a Dodge 2500 diesel anywhere between 2001- 2010 or so. I was amazed at how these trucks hold their value even with 150k plus miles on them.
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Cummins do not die. The 47RE does, once, but not once built like they should have been from the dealer. Get one with the NV5600 behind it and you'll never have problems.
 
Our 2005 hemi had 297,000 when we sold it. Never changed the spark plugs, trans serviced every 50K.
 
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